The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is pleased to have received a RMB300,000 donation from the HNA Hospitality Group (HNA) for the establishment of the “HNA Hospitality Group/Tangla Hotels & Resorts Students Internship Scholarship” at the SHTM.

With full support from the HNA, scholarships will be set up for SHTM students undertaking internship in the Group’s hotels for three years commencing 2017. This is the first time that the HNA made a donation to the School.

The HNA Group is a fast expanding conglomerate headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China. Founded in 1993, the Group has developed rapidly and internationally to encompass core businesses of aviation, hospitality, tourism, real estate, retail, finance, logistics, shipbuilding, eco-tech and entertainment.

In an effort to adapt to an ever-changing and dynamic international environment, the HNA looked to the SHTM to develop for their associates an advanced and specialised training and educational programme. The two institutions have come together recently to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in different areas in support of talent training and development to include the establishment of scholarships to support SHTM students’ education.

In receiving the donation cheque on behalf of the SHTM, Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor and Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management expressed his sincere thanks to Mr Carlo Schmed, HNA Vice President of Operations. Dean Chon said that this benefaction has not only provided a boost for the advancement of hospitality education, but also re-affirmed the industry’s support for the SHTM. “The School is delighted that the scholarships would enable the SHTM to further step up our efforts in nurturing young talents with a passion for the industry,” he remarked.

About PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management

For close to 40 years, PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Ranked among the top 3 “Hospitality and Leisure Management” institutions in the world according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism.

With 70 academic staff drawing from 21 countries and regions, the School offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate degrees to doctoral degrees. In 2012, the SHTM was bestowed the McCool Breakthrough Award by the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE) recognising its breakthrough in the form of its teaching and research hotel – Hotel ICON – the heart of the School’s innovative approach to hospitality and tourism education. A member of the UNWTO Knowledge Network, the SHTM is also the editorial home of Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism and Journal of China Tourism Research.